Working for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender affirmation within the Anglican Communion.

Saturday, 29 January 2011

David Kato RIP

David Kato, was attacked and beaten to death with a hammer at his home in Kampala on Wednesday 26 January 2011. David was known as ‘the grandfather of the kuchus”, a brave and passionately committed activist who had been campaigning for gay rights for more than a decade. He had been leading the campaign against David Bahati’s Anti-homosexuality bill, which demands that homosexuals be executed and which has intensified the climate of hatred and prejudice against LGBT people not only in Uganda but across Africa.

Changing Attitude England has been campaigning for fifteen years for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the Anglican Communion. By implication, we are campaigning against everything, every attitude, every theological position, every use of scripture, every sermon, teaching and episcopal attitude which allows or encourages prejudice and hatred against LGBT people.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, issued a statement following the murder. He said, in part: “No one should have to live in such fear because of the bigotry of others. This is a moment to take very serious stock and to address those attitudes of mind which endanger the lives of men and women belonging to sexual minorities.”

Changing Attitude England welcomes the Archbishop’s forthright stance. Following David’s murder, the time has come to demand that the Anglican Communion abandons the parts of the teaching enshrined in Lambeth Conference resolution 1.10 of 1998 that rejects homosexual practice as being incompatible with scripture (para. 4) and cannot advise the legitimizing or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions (para 5).

The Anglican Communion must move to adopt as policy the commitments made in paras 3 and 5 to assure homosexual people that they are loved by God and are full members of the body of Christ, and to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation.

The Most Revd Henry Orombi, Primate of Uganda, is one of 7 Primates who have absented themselves from the Primates’ meeting in Dublin this week because The Most Revd Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church is present and because of TEC’s policy which breaks the moratoria on ordaining gay bishops and allowing same sex blessings.

TEC has led the way towards the full inclusion of LGBT people in the Church and in the global Christian community, reflecting theologically on human sexuality and listening for over 30 years to LGBT people. TEC has committed itself to integrating us into every level of Church life. For doing this it is demonized. Conservatives, in the words of Canon Chris Sugden, bear false witness against The Episcopal Church and claim, wrongly, that Anglicans have been persecuted and driven from their homes, buildings and jobs in the USA and Canada.

In contrast, the Church of Uganda in a statement issued on 9 February 2010, whilst not fully endorsing the Bahati bill, argued that homosexual behaviour should be prohibited and penalized and the licensing of organisations which promote homosexuality should be prohibited. In conclusion it reiterated the Church of Uganda’s desire to provide love and care for all God’s people “caught up in any sin” (which is not what Lambeth 1.10 says).

A local Anglican priest, the Revd Thomas Musoke, at Friday's funeral for David Kato, grabbed the microphone in the middle of the ceremony and decried homosexuality, causing a fight to break out and leading villagers to refuse to bury the body. Reports say he screamed:

"The world has gone crazy. People are turning away from the scriptures. They should turn back, they should abandon what they are doing. You cannot start admiring a fellow man. It is ungodly.”

One woman responded:

"Who are you to judge others? We have not come to fight. You are not the judge of us. As long as he's gone to God his creator, who are we to judge Kato?"

Marking a stark contrast with the attitude of the Church of Uganda, the Kampala-based Daily Monitor carried an editorial comment which concluded:

“People like David Kato and others who might be gay are Ugandans and enjoy the same rights and protections of the law as heterosexuals. We cannot send them into exile neither, lock them away, or hang them. We need to have an honest discussion about how to ensure that their rights are upheld without violating the rights of other Ugandans. Peaceful and stable societies only emerge when we understand and try to accommodate those who are different from us, or who disagree with us – not by ostracising or killing them.”

Changing Attitude England calls on every Province of the Anglican Communion to urgently review attitudes to homosexuality.

The abusive use of Lambeth 1.10 which focuses on negative, judgmental attitudes towards LGBT people must be reversed.

Affirmation of the unconditional love of God for all people, pastoral care and support which is undiscriminating, and opposition to homophobia and all prejudice against LGBT people must become the policy of the Communion.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that this is a moment to take very serious stock and to address those attitudes of mind which endanger the lives of men and women belonging to sexual minorities.

The Primates who are meeting in Dublin have an opportunity to reflect on the effect of Christian teaching which diminishes the humanity of LGBT people and puts our lives in danger. They must initiate a review of Lambeth Resolution 1.10 in response to David’s murder, the continuing violence against LGBT people in the global community and the loss of so many faithful LGBT Anglicans who are abandoning the Church they love because of its deeply ingrained prejudice.

The Anglican Consultative Council and the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion must engage in a similar review of Anglican policy when they next meet.

The next meeting of the Lambeth Conference in 2018 will be too late. By then, more LGBT activists and individuals will have been murdered and more teenagers committed suicide, and tens of thousands of LGBT Anglicans will continue to live in secrecy and in fear for their safety and their lives.

The need for action to combat the evil of prejudice and violence against LGBT people is urgent and changes in Anglican Communion teaching and policy must be made NOW.

Colin Coward

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The need for action to combat the evil of prejudice and violence against LGBT people is urgent and changes in Anglican Communion teaching and policy must be made NOW.¨ C.C.

That is direct and appropriate and maybe not even urgent enough--what will it take to gain a sensible review of such prejudice and hate at the Anglican Communion--frankly, like Malaria the disease of Bigotry directed toward LGBTI Anglicans/others must be defeated--it´s that important and has far reaching implications if The Primates, and the rest of us, at the Anglican Communion PRESS for a spiritual cure (and emotional ones too)!

Nze Flora.N.L-banange mutuleke, mind your own business, we need equal rights. Being a gay is not a problem. Give us our rights. May my collegue rest in peace.This was the cause of the government allowing people to attack us. greetings to all my friends Kasha Jacqueline and Frank Mugisha. God bless u all

Contributors

Rev. Colin CowardDirector of Changing Attitude

Wimbledon-born, post-war baby, Wandsworth-baptised, attended kindergarten Sunday School at 3, confirmed at 12, saw a new light at 16, never stopped since then chiselling away at myself in faith. Part-time archaeologist in my 20s, 3 years an architect in Basingstoke, where I was given my next vocation, to the priesthood. Studied theology in Cambridge where I was tutored by Dr Rowan Williams. Served as curate at St George’s Camberwell for 3 years and was then sent to St Faith’s Wandsworth to build a new church and school and in 14 years, to be further chiselled, out from the closet and into a more adult, open and confident person. I trained as a psychotherapist in a body-centred school, worked part-time as a hospital chaplain in Roehampton, and in 1995, founded Changing Attitude. CA has grown from small beginnings to an international network with groups in Australia, England, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria and Scotland. Changing Attitude is ambitiously working for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the Church of England and the international Anglican Communion. I live near Devizes, Wiltshire, where I pray and meditate, garden and cook, and play with a steam railway in the garden.

Rev. Christina Beardsley

The Revd Dr Christina (Tina) Beardsley grew up in West Yorkshire and was educated at Sussex University, where she met her husband, Rob; at St John’s College, Cambridge, where she was a research student; and at Westcott House, where she trained for ordination. She has worked for over three decades in pastoral ministry in the Church of England. In 2000 Tina co-founded the Clare Project, a transgender support group in Brighton & Hove: http://www.clareproject.org.uk/

Tina is the author of The Transsexual Person Is My Neighbour: Pastoral Guidelines for Christian Clergy, Pastors And Congregations, published by the Gender Trust:

Born in the east end of London Brenda followed a career in the Home Office. In 1971 she was appointed as Immigration Officer in the first intake of women to the service, and undertook Diplomatic Service postings to Pakistan and Sierra Leone. She took early retirement in 2003 and worked for Changing Attitude as administrator. She came to faith at an early age in a Baptist Church, and remained an evangelical. Her first real contact with the Anglican Communion was as a member of the congregation of Karachi Cathedral. For twenty years she was involved with the Evangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay Christians, and since 1996 with the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups, serving four terms as Co-President. In 2007 she was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Lesbian and Gay Religious Archive Network. In 1996 she co-authored `Not for Turning’, about the so-called ex-gay movement in the UK. Brenda had been in happy partnership with Pam for twelve years.